I've always wanted to try some Infra Red film photography but never got used to the idea of loading the camera in pitch dark etc, so now we're digital, what can we do to achieve the same results?

I've seen several 'pseudo' plug-ins, but, so far, I've never seen one that produces the white foliage and other IR effects (Black sky etc) like the old film methods - any ideas??

well... you have to make sure your camera can pick up infrared... some don't do a good job with it... the easiest way to find out is this:

get your TV remote and hold it in front of the camera. press and hold a button, like the volume button then take a picture. If the little infrared censor on the remots is lit up you're in good shape... A lot of cameras are not sensitive to infrared light... I have the Pentax *istD. It works great. The rebel has to be modified... costs like $500...

after that, you need to get an infrared filter to block out all the natural light. Then it's time to start having fun... it seems that most digital infrared requires a long exposure... mine is usually 8-15 seconds.

for editing... use photoshop all the way. I am using picasa now and the results are not so good... I am traveling and when I get home I will reprocess all the files in photoshop... here is a great tutorial on infrared:

I've always wanted to try some Infra Red film photography but never got used to the idea of loading the camera in pitch dark etc, so now we're digital, what can we do to achieve the same results?

I've seen several 'pseudo' plug-ins, but, so far, I've never seen one that produces the white foliage and other IR effects (Black sky etc) like the old film methods - any ideas??

well... you have to make sure your camera can pick up infrared... some don't do a good job with it... the easiest way to find out is this:

get your TV remote and hold it in front of the camera. press and hold a button, like the volume button then take a picture. If the little infrared censor on the remots is lit up you're in good shape... A lot of cameras are not sensitive to infrared light... I have the Pentax *istD. It works great. The rebel has to be modified... costs like $500...

after that, you need to get an infrared filter to block out all the natural light. Then it's time to start having fun... it seems that most digital infrared requires a long exposure... mine is usually 8-15 seconds.

for editing... use photoshop all the way. I am using picasa now and the results are not so good... I am traveling and when I get home I will reprocess all the files in photoshop... here is a great tutorial on infrared:

you can check out some infrareds I took... they are posted on here or you can look at my site http://wardhale.com

leave me a comment if you like! hope this helped.

-madhale

The rebel has to be modified... costs like $500...

The Rebel CAN be modified...

The Rebel XY can make fine IR photos. If you want to use fasst shutter speeds you can remove or have removed the "Hot Light" or IR filter infront of the sensor. With out removing the filter IR exposure are relitivly slow and require the use of a tripod. If you want to hand hold or want to freeze wind blown trees, Remove the filter.

At a cost of $700 +$500 it is not to bad for a high speed IR camera. I have a LEICA D-LUC II that does well with IR. You have to hold the filter in front of the lens but it works very good.

I know you're probably busy shooting those fabulous black and whites, but if you have the time...I would love to know a little more about infrared.Do you go to the channel mixer in PS and switch around the red to 100, and then take the blue and green up the scale till you get something you like for the infrared look? or are there other ways to achieve the look?I've been curious about doing more with this, but so far, I have tried only one shot last summer. If you have any tips you might like to share with me, I would very much appreciate it.